


there's nothing wrong with you (it's true)

by soheresmyrightfinger



Series: a cautionary tale [3]
Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Nonbinary Character, Questioning, Trans Character, what a miracle, wow I finally figured out how to write fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 17:37:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16748572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soheresmyrightfinger/pseuds/soheresmyrightfinger
Summary: janis doesn't feel like she’s supposed to and she can't keep it in anymore.





	there's nothing wrong with you (it's true)

Janis felt… strange. Confused even. She stared at her computer screen in a daze. She had never seen some of these words before, but she thought doing some research would help. This wasn’t like when she was questioning her sexuality. This was something different entirely. Janis felt odd inside herself. She was meant to be getting ready for school, but something just felt wrong. It had for months, admittedly. Being a girl felt strange and she wasn't sure what was wrong with her. She gave up, settling on a tight sports bra, a flannel and some leggings.

“Hey, there’s my girl,” Cady said, causing Janis to flinch. “What’s wrong?” The dark haired girl shook her head, “I’m not sure. Something just feels off…”

“With us?” Cady said softly. “Oh no, no, definitely not!” Janis proclaimed, reaching to grab the redhead’s hand. “Everything with us is good, I promise.”

“Oh good,” she sighed, and Janis could see the color returning to her face. “But, then what did you mean?”

“It’s confusing… do you have time after school today?” Cady opened her mouth to say yes when Damian interrupted, “Time for what? Are you two lovebirds planning some fancy little rendezvous or can I come along?” Cady looked to Janis, who simply nodded, “You can come. Truth be told, it might be easier having both of you there."

 

* * *

 

 

The school day came and went, same as any other, besides the very noticeable discomfort when her teachers called her “she” and “miss.” The trio walked to Janis’ house and they plopped down onto the couch in her basement. “So, what’s up?” The redhead said, the curiosity having eaten at her all day. “Oh, just a second.” she called before dashing up the stairs. The remaining two just looked at each other and shrugged. Janis returned with her laptop.

“Okay, so…" she started, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. “Well… maybe I’ll just show you.” She turned her laptop around, displaying several google tabs with searches like “what does it mean if I don’t feel like a girl?” and searches for different gender identities. Janis waited, chewing her lips. Once her friends looked at her in curiosity, she began to explain further.

“Lately, I haven’t been feeling like a girl. But I don’t feel like a boy either. I feel... somewhere in between. I don’t like being called she or anything really feminine. I don’t know what this means, and I trust you guys with this so…” Janis trailed off, scanning their faces for a reaction. Damian was the first to break the silence, “Well, luckily for you, when I was questioning my gender I did extensive research on gender identities, so I will do my best,” he said, pulling the laptop towards him and beginning to type.

 

As he began his work, Cady spoke softly, “Is that why you flinched when I called you my girl earlier?” Janis nodded. “It’s not you I promise, it just feels… weird,” she said softly, afraid of what Cady would say. “I understand,” Cady said, reaching for her girlfriend’s hand. “You do?” Cady nodded. “Truth be told, I’ve been feeling the same way, I just… didn’t know what to say.” Janis squeezed the redhead’s hand, giving her a look that radiated understanding and love.

“Okay!” Damian said, having found what he was searching for. “So, you don’t feel like a girl or a guy? How does nonbinary feel?” Janis and Cady stared at their friend in silence for a moment, contemplating the term.

 

“I… I like it,” Janis whispered, tears welling up. Cady, still holding Janis’s hand, squeezed it softly before replying, “Me too.”

“As for pronouns, do you want me to try some out with you?” The pair nodded, feeling a sense of safety and comfort. “How about they and them?” He asked before proceeding. “This is my friend Janis, they’re a lesbian. This is my friend Cady, they’re bisexual.” Cady nodded, their face becoming flushed, and Janis began to cry softly. “Oh, baby,” Cady whispered, taking their girlfriend into their arms.

“I’m guessing that’s a yes,” Damian said, letting out a soft laugh. They both nodded, Cady wiping Janis’s tears. “Thank you guys for helping me with this,” Janis said softly. This had been weighing on their mind for months and now they finally had a name to put to their gender. Nonbinary. “Wait,” Damian said, “Do you two want to be each other’s girlfriends? Or something else?”

 

“What do you mean?” Cady inquired. “Well since you both aren’t girls, then maybe you’d want a different title?”

“I think girlfriend works for me,” Cady declared. “How about you, J?” They blushed at the nickname. “What are my options?”

“Well, there’s enbyfriend and datemate.” Janis smiled, “Aw, datemate is cute!” Cady giggled at their reaction, replying, “Well then, I guess I am now blessed enough to have a beautiful datemate.” Janis smiled, softly grabbing Cady’s face and leaning in to kiss them. “Aww!” Damian said obnoxiously, causing the two to roll their eyes and laugh. “I love you guys,” Janis said. “Thank you so much.” Damian leaned in to pull them into a group hug, staying that way for a while before pulling away to reply. “Of course, J! Your comfort means the world to me,” Damian said, garnering a nod from Cady.

 

Later that night, Janis laid in bed, finally feeling like they belonged in their own skin.

**Author's Note:**

> hope u all enjoyed  
> i only used she/her pronouns for janis throughout bc they hadn't specified what pronouns they wanted yet so... yeah  
> tumblr: [soheresmyrightfinger](http://soheresmyrightfinger.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [makesyoubrave](http://twitter.com/makesyoubrave)


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